Football fans will be bunkering down with enthusiasm as the FIFA World Cup kicks off in Mexico, then Toronto, followed by LA this week and continues on till July 19th. The first match in Mexico City kicks off 90 minutes after the opening ceremony, which is 11.30 am CST.
There is the much touted Venus Jupiter conjunction in Cancer in place until June 25th which is schmaltzy, sugary-sweet, good for fashion and keeping up appearances but inclines to be superficial, wasteful and expensive – all show and no substance. The Venus opposes Pluto and squares a Taurus Moon adding to a slightly over-the-top, indulgent and acquisitive feel. None of which sounds too much like top class sport but time will tell. Though Mars in Taurus will help to put some boot into the proceedings.
Depending on whether the opening ceremony in Mexico is taken as the start chart = maybe disruptive with Uranus on the Midheaven and physically challenging with Pluto in the 6th. Or the opening match has a simmering cauldron of anger with Mars in the 8th.
The Los Angeles opening match 12 June 2026 4.30pm LA, has the bullishly assertive and excitable Mars Moon in the 7th; with an intense 8th house Sun.
Time will tell which works best.
Gianni Infantino, the FIFA President, who grovelled in front of Trump and awarded him the first FIFA Peace Prize last December in a cringeworthy ceremony, was born 23 March 1970 Switzerland. He is a Sun Mercury in Ares opposition Pluto and Uranus and sextile Neptune is go-ahead, ambitious, overly impulsively. With his money-attracting Jupiter in Scorpio opposition a tough Mars Saturn in Taurus, he does have grit though possibly flawed judgement with Jupiter Mars and Jupiter Saturn. He looks nerve-stretched now till mid August which is hardly surprising with such a large enterprise to oversee and could be a touch over-confident with tr Pluto square his Jupiter late June to early August. Since that tugs on the opposition to Mars Saturn it may not end well especially in the aftermath.
To me this feels like the hangover of what Pluto in Capricorn did. Expansion of the World Cup to include 48 teams basically so they can get a bigger tournament with more games to sell to TV and perhaps get more revenue from smaller countries. And this has been the playbook for most sports in the past couple of decades – water down the quality to make more money – which then alienates the real fans at the expense of casual fans. Of course there is an argument that the ‘inclusion’ will be good for growing the sport but it feels to me like the balance has swung too far.
I’m seeing many commenters saying they feel the least enthused ever about this World Cup – the combination of America’s politics and FIFA’s greed. Leo is the sign of sport so perhaps with Pluto now opposing it; the detachment of Aquarius begins to say “Nah you’ve killed my passion for this game”.